Erika Heffernan

"How we learn, comprehend, and interpret information is an internal process, rarely seen from the outside. While comprehension is invisible, our ability to communicate and understand relevant information is an observable measure of intelligence. The inner dialogue circulating inside a person’s head remains a mystery. This work illuminates the difference between the internal standard of “right”, and the illusive standard of what is “right” upheld in society.

This work explores the different ways we interpret standardized information. It questions how we are expected to learn, and also the ways we are taught. An individual’s approach to learning comprehension, working memory, perception and communication can differ greatly depending on one’s ability to process and retain information. This discrepancy causes various interpretations of the same information. Several visual and auditory strategies invite the viewer to participate in a struggle for understanding. Instructional information is removed, manipulated, and overloaded to confuse essential learning cues."